by Anthea Sharp
His sword connected with a hollow thunk, then stuck right in the center of the knight’s armor. The Black Knight froze in place.
Silence descended, marred only by Tam’s ragged breaths. Slowly, he pulled his blade free. It was unmarked by blood, but there was a hole in the knight’s chest plate. Had he won?
“Tamlin,” the Black Knight said, his voice low and grave. “First fight to you.” He raised his sword in a half-salute. Then, just as suddenly as he had dismounted, he was once again astride his horse.
“Well well!” Puck cried, a merry note in his voice. “A fight fairly won.” He gestured at Jennet. The ice block cracked open, and she took a quick, stumbling step forward.
She glared at the sprite. “Unfair! You didn’t need to—”
“Of a surety, I did.” Puck swung about at the end of her staff. “A noble impulse, to aid your champion, but forbidden nonetheless. But you, Tamlin…”
“Yes?” He sheathed his sword, but kept his hand resting lightly on the hilt.
“You are a truer champion than I would have guessed. Well fought, indeed. And now, in parting, I have a gift to bestow on you.” He brought one cupped hand to his mouth and puffed.
Glittering dust blew across Tam’s face.
“What the…?” He coughed and took a step backward.
Through blurred vision, he saw the little creature vault back onto the horse. In one smooth motion, the knight turned his steed and they galloped away, Puck’s mischievous laughter trailing behind.
“What was that?” Tam rubbed his eyes. “Was he trying to blind me or something?” Things slowly started coming back into focus, and he let out a breath.
“Fairy dust,” Jennet said. “It usually confers some kind of gift. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what, exactly. That is so like Puck.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Tam - you were prime, fighting the Black Knight like that. I would have helped, but,” she made a face, “you saw what Puck did. You didn’t need my help, though. You did great on your own.”
He shrugged, though pride warmed him through. “If I won, that was a weird way to show it. Usually stuff dies at the end, you know?”
“Feyland is, well… it’s unique.”
“Yeah - I’m gathering that.” He was also getting the feeling Jennet hadn’t told him a few important things about how Feyland worked. There was a totally different mood to this game, and he couldn’t quite figure it. Probably as they kept questing it would get clearer to him, but right now it was hard to sort. “Is Puck on our side?”
She tilted her head. “Puck is sort of a free agent, from what I’ve seen. Sometimes he helps with quests. Sometimes he doesn’t.”
“Speaking of quests - about this fetching water in a sieve…”
“What about it?”
“Where is my sieve? How does the inventory system work in here?”
“Oh - I should have explained earlier. Sorry. I was just so excited to get you in-game.” She gave him a repentant look. “Basically, you think of the thing you need, say the name, and it appears.”
“Anything? That’s a pretty advanced database.”
Jennet nodded. “There’s a couple catches, though. You can’t summon anything while you’re in combat. And the main thing is, calling anything saps your energy for a little while afterward, makes you vulnerable. The more complicated the item, the longer the recovery.” She glanced around. “Now is probably an okay time to try it, though.”
“Ok. Sieve.” He blinked in surprise as the metal mesh bowl appeared in his hands. A second later, a wave of weariness washed over him, weighting his arms and legs. “Now how do I get rid of it?”
“That’s easy –imagine your hands empty again and it will dematerialize.”
Sure enough, the sieve disappeared as soon as he imagined it gone. Freaky.
“Can I try some other stuff?”
“Sure,” she said. “Just don’t tire yourself out too much.”
“What about … Chocolate-chip cookies. The big ones, with lots of chips.” A stack appeared in Tam’s upturned hand. “Hey - these look great.”
He let himself collapse, cross-legged, on the ground, then lifted a cookie to his mouth. The interface was so good, he swore he could taste it. Except…
“These cookies taste like bananas,” he said.
“Yeah.” Jennet shook her head. “Apparently that’s the synthesist’s favorite flavor. They’re working on it, but right now, everything in-game tastes the same.”
He swallowed. “Good thing I tried it with cookies. I’d hate to take a big bite of banana-flavored pizza.”
She laughed, and the sound felt like warm rain on his skin. Tam liked the way she looked when she smiled. Maybe this playing together was going to work out, after all. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said the game was hard and she needed help. His help.
“That reminds me,” she said, her expression growing sober. “Except for food you summon, don’t eat or drink anything that someone here gives you.”
“No candy from strangers. I get it.”
“No, really.” She knelt to face him, her blue eyes serious. “Promise me, out loud.”
He vanished the cookies. Already he was feeling better - ready to get to their quest. “All right. I won’t eat or drink stuff that people here give me.”
“People or creatures. Promise it.”
“Fine. I won’t eat or drink anything that people or creatures give me. I promise.” As he spoke the last word, the air vibrated, as though somewhere far off a bell had tolled.
Jennet nodded. “Good. It’s a true pledge.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jennet glanced at Tam. She didn’t want to explain that he could get trapped in-world if he ate anything here. That would open up an entire barrel of worms that she wasn’t ready to talk about now. If ever.
She exhaled, letting the last of the fear leave her lungs, and pulled in a deep breath of sweet air. This first level of Feyland was supposed to be safe. She’d brought him in without much explanation because they weren’t supposed to get into any trouble at the beginning. Boy had she been wrong about that.
Nothing was going the way she’d planned. The elation of finally making it back in-game and picking up a quest that would lead to the next level had quickly curdled to fear when the Black Knight had shown up. She’d been sure he was going to pound Tam into the ground, then turn and fling her back outside the borders of Feyland.
But thanks to her champion, that hadn’t happened.
Tam had bested the Black Knight. She had been so afraid. So proud. She wished she could have helped, instead of being bound into frustrating immobility by Puck, but it made crazy sense. It was Tam’s test, after all.
“So, which way is the river?” Tam asked. He turned in a slow circle and the sunlight glinted off his armor.
She should call it now, and send him home. He’d done what he was supposed to - helped her reactivate the game quests. She could handle it from here. Besides, the Dark Queen was dangerous. It was Jennet’s responsibility to make sure Tam didn’t get too deep in-world.
“Well… we should probably log off.”
“What?” He turned to her, surprise in his green eyes. “We can’t just quit now. We have a quest to complete. Besides, I’m having fun.”
“Fun. Right.” She shook her head. Her idea of fun didn’t include being pummeled by ferocious knights. But then, guys were different that way.
Would it hurt if he came with her a little further? If they completed the quest together? It would be quick and easy, and it was so nice to have someone along. Someone strong. Someone she could trust.
“Come on, Jennet,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”
“All right,” she said, and was rewarded by a flash of his smile. “I think the river is this direction. There should be a trail.”
She took a firm grip on her staff and set off, away from Fynnod’s quiet cottage. The grasses around them swayed in the wind, and the sky was once more clear and
bright.
Tam strode beside her, glancing to either side. “This is really tight world-building. Though I’m glad everything doesn’t smell like bananas too. Hey.” He paused. “Do you hear that?”
She cocked her head, but heard only the breeze rustling in the tall grass, birds chirping. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Someone’s calling for help.” He set his hand to his sword and turned to their left. “This way. Come on.”
“Tam, wait. Things here aren’t always what they seem…” She was talking to his back.
Stifling a sigh, she hurried after him. He was a good hero, but couldn’t he be a little more cautious? Then again, he didn’t truly understand what they were dealing with. And whose fault was that?
Guilt twisted through her.
All right. As soon as they got out, she’d talk to him and explain how, exactly, Feyland was dangerous. Whether or not he’d believe her - well, that was a risk she had to take.
She caught up to Tam, who was turning a slow circle in the waist-high grass.
“I hear a voice,” he said, a note of frustration in his tone, “but there’s nobody here.”
Jennet lifted her shoulders. “Feyland can be strange that way. Things don’t always make sense. Come on, I see the trail. Don’t you want to finish our quest?”
“Wait.” He held up a hand, and then a startled look crossed his face. “Really? You are? Alright, let me see.”
She had the feeling he wasn’t talking to her - but she still didn’t hear anything except some bird calling nearby.
Tam dropped to his knees and began parting the grasses around them. “Look, here he is.”
“What? Who?” She peered over his shoulder.
He’d uncovered a hollow in the grasses, and there was something moving there. It was a small brown sparrow, flapping its wings desperately, but going nowhere. She bent forward, to see that one delicate foot was caught in a tiny snare. Poor thing.
“Shh,” Tam said, holding out one hand toward the bird. “Don’t be scared. We’ll get you out of this, no problem.”
“Is this who you heard calling for help? I mean, obviously he needs some assistance, but…”
“Yeah.” Tam’s nimble fingers worked on the twine that bound the bird, while a series of tweets and chirps issued from the little beak. “Can’t you understand him?”
“Um, no. But obviously you can.”
Tam nodded. “This is Skyward. Hold on, buddy, almost got it.” He worked the snare free and carefully slid it off Skyward’s tiny foot. The bird let out a few more chirps, and Tam dipped his head. “You’re welcome.”
With a startling flurry of wings, the sparrow shot up into the air. In moments he was just a brown speck against the blue. A cheerful trill drifted down to them, and then he was gone.
“Hm.” Jennet stared up into the empty sky, thinking. “I bet that was Puck’s gift - understanding the speech of animals.”
“That could come in handy.”
“Or be totally annoying, depending. What about insects?” She glanced around, then pointed to a dragonfly skimming the grasses nearby. “Can you talk to it?”
Tam stepped over to it. “Hey, bug,” he said in a loud voice. “’sup?”
The dragonfly hovered for a moment, then flew off, its wings making a shirring sound.
“Well?” Jennet asked.
He shook his head. “Nope. Guess I don’t speak bug.”
“That’s probably best. I mean, you don’t need every little speck trying to have a conversation with you. Hey, look. There’s the river.” She gestured down the hill to where water made a sparkling line of silver between the trees.
“And here’s the trail. Come on.” Tam led the way, his movements confident and relaxed.
Jennet watched him. Like her, his avatar was an improved version of his real-life self. Even though there was a character selection menu, it turned out that the game somehow picked up on how you actually looked, with a few modifications. Good thing there weren’t any mirrors here, or she’d have even more explaining to do.
It didn’t take them long to reach the woods lining the river. Dappled light filtered through the fresh green leaves, and up ahead the river chuckled to itself.
“I wonder if fish talk,” Tam said. “And whether they have anything interesting to say.”
“Are fish even animals?”
“Guess we’ll find out. It’s peaceful down here.”
Jennet glanced at Tam. His eyes shone with interest as he looked around. It was nice, being able to see his face. He had good, strong cheekbones, and a sharp nose that wasn’t too big. But his best feature was his green eyes, the color of the leaves overhead.
It was interesting, too, the way he opened up in-game. It felt like he’d said more to her in Feyland than he had the whole rest of the time she’d known him.
“Let’s try this sieve thing,” she said, pausing at the river’s edge. An ancient willow grew there, its leaves trailing in the current. She materialized her sieve, and Tam did the same. He held it up to the light and turned it back and forth.
“Fetch water in this?” he asked. “If you hadn’t noticed, there’s a million holes in it.”
“Well, that’s the quest that Fynnod set us.”
Tam stepped down to the river and bent, scooping up water. It immediately flowed back out, sparkling and dripping through the mesh of the sieve.
“Yeah,” he said. “Of course it couldn’t be that easy.”
She set her staff down and knelt next to the willow, then dipped her own sieve in. A wavery reflection looked back at her. A reflection that suddenly grew long teeth and green hair.
“Jennet, there’s something in there… look out!” Tam yelled.
Long arms erupted out of the water, grabbing hold of her. Fright thumping hard in her chest, she tried to scramble back, but sharp nails dug into her arms. She couldn’t get free, and the creature was dragging her forward, into the water.
“Tam!” she cried.
The bank was slick. Nothing to hold on to but slender reeds that slipped through her fingers as the creature yanked her down.
“Jennet!”
Tam lunged for her, but the creature gave a last, vicious tug and Jennet tumbled headlong into the river.
Chill water closed over her head, the cold shocking through her, and she kicked out wildly. The river was deep here, by the roots of the old willow. Deep, and treacherous, and the domain of a water hag. Fear shuddered through her.
Her staff lay uselessly on the bank above - she couldn’t fire blue mage-bolts at the creature. Instead she jabbed her fingers into the tough green skin and tried to kick against the current. But no matter how she struggled, the water hag gripped her tighter and kept towing her down. Down. Dizzy panic tightened her throat.
“Hee hee,” the creature burbled. “Wicked Peg found a morsel. A sweet tasteling.” She smacked her lips as she pulled Jennet into the submerged shadows.
Jennet’s limbs felt heavy. Her body was an echo of her own heartbeat, slowing, slowing. Bubbles escaped her mouth, little pearls lifting from between her lips to float up and away. The sky was wavery splinters of light above her.
Then silver exploded into the current beside them. Air and a flash like lightning - Tam diving in after her, his weapon shining. His sword darted, faster than she could have dreamed, stabbing the green-skinned Peg and making her howl. She lifted one hand from Jennet to claw at Tam’s blade.
“Away, away. Prick me not, foul beast of the air!”
Tam kept slashing. Trickles of blood bloomed, clouding the water like green algae. With a last screech, Wicked Peg released Jennet and wriggled away, disappearing into the murky depths beneath the willow.
The last bit of breath escaped Jennet. Her lungs were screaming for air, and Tam’s arm was around her, urging her up. He kicked, strongly, and pulled her from the depths. They emerged together in a gasping spray of light.
“Come on.” Tam half-carried her onto the bank. H
e kept his arm around her, even when they had gained solid ground.
Jennet knelt on the mud, coughing. Even though her mind was screaming at her to get away from the river, her legs wouldn’t hold her up. She pulled in a rough lungful of air, then coughed again as it scraped her throat. Shivers chased through her.
That had been way too close. What was a high-level monster like that water hag doing here? Feyland was getting more dangerous than she had dreamed.
She crawled forward a few feet and grabbed her staff, then pulled herself to her knees. “Let’s get out of here.” Her voice was hoarse.
Tam nodded and took her hand, helping her to her feet. Her legs trembled and he gave her a concerned look. It warmed her up a little, inside.
“Yeah,” he said. “Some distance is a good idea. You sure you’re ok?”
“I’m fair.” All she wanted was to get away from the river, and the green terror lurking in its depths.
“Let’s head over there,” he said, waving to a sunny clearing just visible between the trees. “It seems far enough to be safe.”
She nodded. He put his arm around her shoulders, helping her when she nearly stumbled. By the time they reached the clearing, her breathing had evened out and her steps were less shaky. Flowers dotted the grass - blue bells and spangles of daisies. It looked pretty and innocent, and she desperately hoped there wasn’t some evil creature hiding in the trees, ready to pounce on them.
Tam surveyed the area, and seemed satisfied. “Here. Sit down a minute.”
She sank down in the soft grass and looked up at him. Water plastered his hair to his head and dripped off his armor. He looked a mess, and she certainly wasn’t any better off.
“I hope you don’t start rusting,” she said.
“Yeah. That could get awkward. But magical armor doesn’t do stuff like that. Right?”
Jennet glanced down at her soaked gown. “If you don’t rust and I don’t mold, I think we’ll be all right. Anyway, well… thanks.” The word seemed inadequate.
Tam gave her a crooked grin. “Hey, I’m a Knight. It’s what I do. In fact, give me your sieve and stay here. I’ll figure this thing out.”